Hub-Based Wearable Sensor Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wearable health technology faces challenges in accurately synchronizing data from multiple sensors due to discrepancies in internal clock accuracy, leading to misalignment of data streams and requiring labor-intensive offline data alignment.
Innovation Solution
A modular system comprising a hub and wearable devices that can wirelessly connect, allowing independent data collection and synchronized measurements through trigger signals sent by the hub, ensuring time-synchronized data acquisition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each wearable sensor uses its internal clock for timestamping data, then each device can operate independently and continuously, but clock discrepancies cause data stream misalignment and require labor-intensive post-processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central hub as an intermediary that receives data from multiple wearable sensors and provides a common time reference. The hub timestamps data packets from different sensors based on a single centralized clock, eliminating the need for each sensor to maintain its own accurate clock. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by allowing independent sensor operation while ensuring precise time alignment through the hub's centralized timestamping mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If extensive post-processing is performed to align time-stamped data streams, then data alignment can be achieved, but the process is labor-intensive and introduces potential for human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by performing time alignment at the point of data collection rather than during post-processing. The central hub timestamps each data packet as it is received from sensors, ensuring time alignment is established beforehand. This eliminates the need for labor-intensive post-processing alignment operations, as data arrives already time-stamped with a common reference, thereby reducing both time loss and potential for human error.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sensors are used to monitor various health metrics, then comprehensive health monitoring capability is improved, but the complexity of data synchronization grows exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by combining the timing function of multiple independent sensors into a single centralized time reference managed by the hub. Instead of each sensor maintaining its own clock and synchronization mechanism (which would create exponential complexity), all sensors merge their timing operations through the hub's centralized clock. This allows comprehensive health monitoring with multiple sensors while keeping synchronization complexity manageable through the unified time reference approach.
Data Source
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AI summary
A modular system and methods for collecting health-related data via a network of wearable devices is disclosed. The system has a hub that wirelessly connects to multiple wearable devices attachable to various body parts. These devices are capable of independently collecting health data, which can be synchronized by the hub when time-aligned measurements are needed. The hub sends trigger signals to the wearable devices to initiate and synchronize this data collection, ensuring accurate and timely health metrics. Additionally, the system supports bidirectional communication between the hub and devices for data transmission and synchronization in real-time. The methods described include configuring the modular system and the process of collecting synchronized health-related data using the hub and wearable devices network.